Today
by asthalanthil
Summary: Anshi wonders- When will their someday come? Is it today?


Disclaimer: Shouja Kakumei Utena and all its characters are the property of Be-Papas and Co. Mild A/U.  
  
A/N: A warm thank you to all reviewers.  
  
Today  
  
She checked her watch with barely controlled impatience. The watch told her that there was still fifteen minutes left. Sometimes, she thought she hated time and wondered how other people dealt with it all their lives. It had been ten years and she still had problems coping with it.  
  
The fifteen minutes chafed at her and each second that passed seemed to be intolerable agony. She tried to get a grip on herself. What was fifteen minutes when she had waited eternity and ten years? Still, the moments passed inexorably slowly and her accelerated heartbeats only made it worse.  
  
To pass the time, she took out the newspapers clippings from her bag. Some of them were very old. The newest one was about five months old. All were laminated in soft plastice. Yet all had the worn quality of being read, reread and folded countless times. She had memorised them all; she'd read them so often.  
  
BRAVE YOUTH SAVES DROWNING GIRL. That was the oldest one, about nine years ago. MYSTERIOUS STRANGER DEFIES DEATH. That one was four years and ten months ago. WOMAN ESCAPES BURNING DEATH was the most recent one. Most had no accompanying photograps but some showed blurred photos of someone moving at what appeared to be incredible speed to come to the rescue.  
  
She traced the words tenderly. They were dear friends to her; giving her hope at times when she felt like giving up. When the temptation to just condemn herself to oblivion started seducing her again. The cuttings from Japan, France, Thailand, all over the world told her that her search was not in vain.A tear fell from her face as she stared at the blurred figure in the most recent one. It slipped unnoticed from the plastic lamination. Her trembling figure traced the figure and for a delusional moment, thought she could almost feel soft, springy hair that she knew was pink in colour.  
  
Her control slipped and she took a moment to compose herself. She stared at the cuttings a while longer and put them away. Soon, the reality itself would come in. She checked her watch again. Eleven minutes. Then she would know whether she needed to wait endless agonising hours before the next glimmer of hope appeared in yet another newspaper across the world.  
  
She silently cursed the fragility of human emotions while rejoicing that she had them. That had been her gift. Sitting alone on the bleachers, she wiped away the tears that had come all all too easily with her freedom. They had been a small price to pay. Losing her, however, had been too high a cost.  
  
Trying not to cry, she barely heard the the door swing open and someone come in whistling. Let them see her cry. She would only move when her salvation or damnation yet again would come in ten minutes. The sound of someone dragging something heavy echoed through the empty gym. Still not looking up, she heard the sound of a ball hitting the floor. The whistling stopped as the whistler went to pick up the ball.  
  
Evidently, the whistler had dropped the ball again as the sounds of the ball bouncing away reached her ears. She refused to look up. She would only look up in. nine minutes.  
  
Then, she heard the sound of a low cry. That voice. She whipped up her head. An incredible blur was hopping up on the bleachers, surging up in a pink wave. In shock, she could only stare as for the first time in ten years, Tenjou Utena's intense blue eyes stared into her green ones.  
  
"Hi..Himemiya." It was said in an incredulous tone. She had waited so long to hear that dearly beloved voice. So long and yet so short. Her mind absently told her that she was supposed to have eight minutes left. Stunned, she looked blankly into the beautiful face framed by pink bangs. She had thought of what she would say, what she would do but nothing came into her mind as her dreams and hopes became reality. Then all thought fled further from her mind as she was enfolded in strong arms which she had thought might never hold her again.  
  
"Himemiya." Came that beloved voice again, so full of love and tears.  
  
Safe and secure in loving arms, Himemiya Anshi tooked a liberty she had never allowed herself since she had become human. She let all control over her emotion go to hell and dissolved into wracked sobs in Utena's arms.  
  
"Sshhh." Utena comforted her even as her own eyes streamed with tears of relief and joy.  
  
"No. I." Anshi tried to say through her sobs.  
  
"There will always be time for words later."  
  
"No, I need you to know. to know how happy I was just being with you and I'm sorry. for what happened after," she forced her trembling voice to say.  
  
The look in Utena's eyes was all that she had hoped for and more. Forgiveness, empathy and most of all love in those glorious blue eyes. She felt the bittersweet tang of Utena's tears mixing with her own as that beloved face leaned over hers and for a moment, she felt the soft press of Utena's lips against her own.  
  
And at that moment, a soft glow seemed to envelop the two. Utena appeared to be wearing an antique looking military dress uniform while kissing an Anshi dressed in a stunning equally antique looking gown. As Utena withdrew, Anshi drank in the sight with large green eyes. The glow faded leaving the two as they were, Utena in a polo T-shirt and slacks, Anshi in an expensive looking cashmere sweater and skirt.  
  
"You're. You're. You looked like."  
  
Utena gave her a sad smile in response.  
  
"I'm a Prince, for all that's worth."  
  
Anshi immediately recognised the implications. She had guessed as much through the clippings but it was now confirmed and more. Utena was now as Dios had been, perhaps as powerful and an expression of dismay crossed her delicate features. Utena saw her expression and said softly, " Anshi. But I only want to be your Prince."  
  
A sad, sad smile, sadder than Utena's smile had been graced Anshi's lips. That was what she had wanted so long ago but never got. A Prince who could be every other girl's but hers. Utena had understood that inadvertent dismay and had sought to reassure her.  
  
"I've missed you," she murmured against Utena's chest and felt loving fingers run through her hair.  
  
"I've missed you too. So much," Utena whispered against violet hair.  
  
Himemiya Anshi closed her eyes and lost herself in that embrace. She could finally rest at last. She had found her one true Prince.  
  
One thing about being human in the real world was that the real world was always intruding on them. The bell rang suddenly, jolting them into reality.  
  
"Damn," Utena started.  
  
Anshi gave her a fond smile.  
  
"Go." she murmured and gave her one more squeeze.  
  
"Not a chance in hell no," Utena said forcefully. "I."  
  
Anshi placed a finger on her lips. "One thing I learnt about being human is that sometimes you've got to wait."  
  
Utena gave her a wan smile. "Who said anything about waiting and waiting and waiting and waiting?"  
  
The former Rose Bride let out a peal of laughter. She had missed this, had missed Utena so damned much. Her Prince gave her a questioning look.  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
"I. I'm not used to seeing you like this. So, so.," Utena struggled to explain.  
  
"Free," she whispered. "Now go, darling, do your job and I'll see you later. I've waited ten years and I can wait a few more hours."  
  
Utena looked a bit mulish so Anshi said, "There's always time for words later."  
  
The pink-haired woman laughed while wiping away the remnants of their tears. "I like you like this."  
  
"Where can we meet later?"  
  
Utena fumbled in her pockets and came up with a bunch of keys, paper and a pen. "Here's my keys, and my address," she said as she scribbled on the paper. "Please make yourself at home. As permanently as possible."  
  
Anshi felt a wave of something warm and happy wash away away the despair and loneliness of so many years. Home. With you.  
  
Utena continued as if she had read her mind, "I'll be home with you as soon as I can and trust me, I can be pretty fast."  
  
As she got up to go, she laughed again and said, "I know. STRANGER RUNS AT SPEED OF LIGHT TO SAVE BABY!"  
  
Utena groaned, then stood closer, towering over her. "Hey. Anshi."  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Did you bring cookies?"  
  
Their eyes met in perfect understanding.  
  
The students filing in at the moment saw something strange, something they would dispute amongst themselves later. They saw Miss Tenjou standing up there in the bleachers, wearing an old-style military uniform, looking rather noble and dashing, giving a courtly bow and a kiss to the hand of a lady who looked like a princess. Then, as they blinked, they saw Miss Tenjou in her normal slacks and the lady in her skirt making her way out.  
  
"Alright, ladies, time to sweat it ALL out!"  
  
The class groaned. It was impossible when she got like this. The first time she had them, she had promised them a few classes off if they could beat her as a class against her lone self in basketball. It must be said in their defence that they tried as they had never tried before. In the end, they had had all had to run extra laps and do extra sit-ups and push-ups.  
  
Tenjou Utena watched her class with a soft smile on her face. She would be going home soon. To Anshi. Someday had finally come. Today. 


End file.
